Arturo Hernandez

Genetic variants related to dopamine functioning (e.g., the ANKK1/TaqIa polymorphism within the gene and the Val158Met polymorphism within the gene) have previously been shown to predict cognitive flexibility and learning (e.g., Colzato et al., 2010; Stelzel et al., 2010). Additionally, researchers have found that these genetic variants may also predict second language learning (Mamiya et al., 2016), although this relationship may change across the lifespan (Sugiura et al., 2011). The current study examined the role of the ANKK1/TaqIa and Val158Met polymorphisms along with age of second language acquisition (AoA) in order to predict levels of bilingual proficiency in Spanish-English bilinguals. Results indicated a three-way interaction such that the relationship between the genetic variants and bilingual proficiency depended on AoA. At earlier AoAs, having the genetic variant associated with higher levels of subcortical dopamine (A1+) predicted the highest levels of bilingual profic...

Bilingualism represents an interesting model of possible experience-dependent alterations in brain structure. The current study examines whether interhemispheric adaptations in brain structure are associated with bilingualism. Corpus callosum volume and cortical thickness asymmetry across 13 regions of interest (selected to include critical language and bilingual cognitive control areas) were measured in a sample of Spanish-English bilinguals and age- and gender-matched monolingual individuals (N = 39 per group). Cortical thickness asymmetry of the anterior cingulate region differed across groups, with thicker right than left cortex for bilinguals and the reverse for monolinguals. In addition, two adjacent regions of the corpus callosum (mid-anterior and central) had greater volume in bilinguals. The findings suggest that structural indices of interhemispheric organization in a critical cognitive control region are sensitive to variations in language experience.

Sensorimotor processing in children and higher-cognitive processing in adults could determine how nonnative phonemes are acquired. This study investigates how age-of-acquisition (AOA) and proficiency-level (PL) predict native-like perception of statistically dissociated L2 categories, i.e., within-category and between-category. In a similarity task, participants rated the level of similarity between pairs of English syllables from 1 (similar) to 4 (dissimilar). Early L2 acquisition predicts accurate within-categorization and high proficiency in late L2 acquisition predicts improved between-categorization. Our results suggest that the manner in which bilinguals learn to categorize nonnative sounds depends on the cognitive processes available at the age of L2 exposure.

The nature of word etymology, long a topic of interest in linguistics, has been considered to a much lesser extent in the word recognition literature. The present study created a database of overlapping words from the English Lexicon Project and a database with age of acquisition (AoA) norms which were categorized as either Germanic or Latin-based. Results revealed that Germanic words were learned earlier than Latin-based words. Germanic words also showed lower reaction times and higher accuracy relative to Latin-based words even when controlling for AoA, word frequency and length. The findings support a bidialectal view of English in that Germanic words serve as the base of lexical processing during childhood, whereas Latin-based words fill in the lexical space across adolescence and into early adulthood. These results carry implications for theories of word recognition and the processing of lexical items in populations that come from linguistically diverse backgrounds.

... Page 20. Reading of late learned words 20 References Baayen, RH, Piepenbrock, R., & Gulikers, L. (1995). The CELEX Lexical Database (Version ... Griffiths, TD, & Warren, JD (2002). The planum temporale as a computational hub. Trends in Neurosciences, 25, 348-353. ...

Abstract 1. Provides a review of the range of cognitive domains that have been investigated using cognitive neuropsychological methods and evidence. Each chapter identifies the central cognitive issues in a particular domain and focuses on how the study of deficits ...

For over 100 years, researchers have wondered how two languages are coded in one brain. Classic studies in bilingual aphasia found that when a language is learned and how well it is spoken can account for the pattern of recovery in those who have suffered brain damage. Other case studies reported patients who appeared unable to control which language is being spoken. Hernandez uses these three factors (age of acquisition, language ability, and control) as guideposts in considering the neural bases of bilingualism. He covers each of these topics with respect to cognition, language, and bilingualism, allowing the reader to observe the links between general cognitive processing and the use of two languages. Hernandez ends by offering an integrated approach in which control, ability, and age all play a role in the way in which two languages are coded in one brain. The ability to learn two languages is a testament to our inherent talent in communicating with others. In this work, the rea...

ABSTRACT Aims: The goal of this study was to investigate if phonetic experience with two languages facilitated the learning of novel speech sounds or if general perceptual abilities independent of bilingualism played a role in this learning. Method: The underlying neural mechanisms involved in novel speech sound learning were observed in groups of English monolinguals (n = 20), early Spanish–English bilinguals (n = 24), and experimentally derived subgroups of individuals with advanced ability to learn novel speech sound contrasts (ALs, n = 28) and individuals with non-advanced ability to learn novel speech sound contrasts (non-ALs, n = 16). Subjects participated in four consecutive sessions of phonetic training in which they listened to novel speech sounds embedded in Hungarian pseudowords. Participants completed two fMRI sessions, one before training and another one after training. While in the scanner, participants passively listened to the speech stimuli presented during training. A repeated measures behavioral analysis and ANOVA for fMRI data were conducted to investigate learning after training. Results and conclusions: The results showed that bilinguals did not significantly differ from monolinguals in the learning of novel sounds behaviorally. Instead, the behavioral results revealed that regardless of language group (monolingual or bilingual), ALs were better at discriminating pseudowords throughout the training than non-ALs. Neurally, region of interest (ROI) analysis showed increased activity in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) bilaterally in ALs relative to non-ALs after training. Bilinguals also showed greater STG activity than monolinguals. Extracted values from ROIs entered into a 2×2 MANOVA showed a main effect of performance, demonstrating that individual ability exerts a significant effect on learning novel speech sounds. In fact, advanced ability to learn novel speech sound contrasts appears to play a more significant role in speech sound learning than experience with two phonological systems.

... Page 20. Reading of late learned words 20 References Baayen, RH, Piepenbrock, R., & Gulikers, L. (1995). The CELEX Lexical Database (Version ... Griffiths, TD, & Warren, JD (2002). The planum temporale as a computational hub. Trends in Neurosciences, 25, 348-353. ...